Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Feb 1

                                
 PRAGUE, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Friday:
                                
 ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 1 hours)

 ======================== ECONOMIC DATA ========================
                                
 No economic indicators are due for release until December
foreign trade on Feb. 5.
                                
 Real-time economic data releases....................<ECONCZ>
                                
 Previous stories on Czech data.............[CZ-RTRS-LEN-ECI]
                                
 Overview of economic data and forecasts..........<CZ/ECON15>
                                
 Updates on Czech currency.............................[CZK/]

 =========================== EVENTS ============================
                                
 PMI INDEX: Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for January is
due to be released at 0830 GMT.
                                
 Related news:
                                
 [RTRS-CZ-ECI-PMI]
                                
 
                                
 BUDGET DATA: The finance ministry will release end-January
budget balance data around 1300 GMT.
                                
 Related news:
                                
 [RTRS-CZ-GVD-DBT-ECI]
                                
 
========================= TOP NEWS =============================
                                
 CNB MEETING: All seven members of the Czech central bank's
(CNB) governing board will be present at the bank's monetary
policy meeting on Feb. 7, the bank said on Thursday.
                                
 [ID:nPRA001731] [RTRS-CZ-CEN-INT-PLCY]
                                
 
                                
 FIN MIN FORECASTS: The Czech Finance Ministry cut the 2008
economic growth outlook but said the public sector deficits
should still outperform current government targets in the coming
years.
                                
 [ID:nL31904028] [RTRS-CZ-MCE-GVD-DBT]
                                
 
                                
 ARMORED CARRIERS: The Czech Republic will revive talks over
a contract to buy armored personnel carriers from a unit of
General Dynamics Corp <GD.N> for the equivalent of $1.4 billion,
the Czech defence ministry said on Thursday.
                                
 [ID:nL31316807] [RTRS-CZ-DEF-AERO-IND-AER]
                                
 
========================= ELSEWHERE IN NEWS ====================
                                
 ORCO REVENUES: Real estate developer Orco Property Group
<ORCOsp.PR> said on Wednesday that 2007 revenues rose 59 percent
year on year to 275.2 million euros ($409.2 million), beating
the firm's target of 250 million.
                                
 [ID:nPRA001730] [RTRS-FINS-REAL-REA]
                                
 
                                
 LEFTISTS WIDEN LEAD: Support for the Czech opposition Social
Democrats (CSSD) rose in January, extending their lead over the
main ruling right-wing Civic Democrats (ODS), an opinion poll
showed on Thursday.
                                
 [ID:nL31730322] [RTRS-CZ-VOTE-POL]
                                
 
                                
 EU COURT: Poland, the Czech Republic and Spain will be taken
to the European Union's top court for failing to introduce
sweeping new rules boosting competition in the financial sector,
the European Commission said on Thursday.
                                
 [ID:nL31905612] [RTRS-CZ-REGS-INV-INVS-BSVC-FINS]
 
 ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------
 Index/Crown Currency  Latest    Prev    Pct change   Pct change
                                
                              close   on day       in 2008
 Czech Equities  <.PX> 1,499.6  1,521.2   -1.42        -17.38
 vs Euro     <EURCZK=>  26.025   25.992   -0.03         +1.92
 vs Dollar      <CZK=>  17.504   17.580   +0.35         +3.72
 U.S. Equities  <.DJI>  12,650   12,443   +1.67         -4.63
 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500
 ---------------------------------------------------------------
 
======================= PRESS DIGEST ==========================
                                
  HOUSEHOLD DEBTS: Czech households' indebtedness jumped by
186 billion crowns ($10.66 billion) to a total of 726 billion
last year.
                                
  Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
 
 (Reuters has not verified any of the newspaper reports that may
be quoted above and does not vouch for their accuracy.)

 For Instant Views of key economic data click on    [CZ/INSTANT]
 For summary of economic data and forecasts          <CZ/ECON01>
 For diary of forthcoming Czech events                [CZ/DIARY]
 For calendar of east European economic indicators  [CONV/DIARY]
 TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets                         [TOP/EMRG]
 TOP NEWS -- Convergence watch                        [TOP/EAST]

 For an economic indicator diary for the euro zone, the United
 States and other Group of Seven countries see         <G7TODAY>

 For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets:
 Warsaw WIG20 <.WIG20>  Budapest BUX <.BUX>  Prague PX <.PX>

                                
 News editor of the day: Jan Lopatka on +420 224 190 477;
fax: +420 224 229 935
                                
 E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com
                                
 Reuters Messaging: jan.lopatka.reuters.com@reuters.net

 (Reporting by Martin Dokoupil)